M2.6 earthquake 9km NE of Ridgecrest, CA

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck 9km NE of Ridgecrest, CA on Sat, Jan 2, 2021, 7:59 PM PST (03:59 UTC), 4 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.0 10km SE of Olancha, CA. This one was a foreshock.

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
2.63	ML, local (Richter)	Southern California Seismic Network	Preferred · Final · ±0.136 · 26 stations
2.6	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · ±0.074 · 24 stations

1 person reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, weak shaking.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 187 in the 60 days after this one and 107 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 187.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci39509727 (also filed as us6000d54l). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 10:13 AM UTC.